On Sept. 8, 2016 the final rule Emergency Preparedness Requirements for Medicare and Medicaid Participating Providers and Suppliers was published in the Federal Register. By Nov. 16, 2017, providers and suppliers must be in compliance.

On September 8th, Medicare announced two more ways to participate in the upcoming shift to the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). "There are four different payment programs now, since the release of the pick-you-pace model," says Carrie Gulledge, RHIA, director of EHR with MediSys. "They allow providers to test the waters with their toe or jump all in."

The annual nail-biting over potentially drastic cuts in Medicare physician fees ended last April with the repeal of the Sustainable Growth Rate. In its place will be the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Alternative Payment Models (APMs).

With just two Medicare exam codes, a physician raised her revenue by $45,320. “So many services that patients are eligible for, like preventative care visits, don’t get utilized by providers, and many are already performing the services,” says Julie Thompson, billing supervisor at MediSYS.

The final regulations governing Medicare accountable care organizations were released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in October, and they represent a sea change in healthcare’s future...